Week 53: Laredo

This week was super good! It's crazy how fast the time has gone by! We had some really amazing lessons with our invetigator. We taught her the restoration and it was proablby one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission so far. 

We also have been working a lot with the less actives. We visit one every week but he hasn't made it to church in a while. He was active when I first got here. his wife has been in Japan for two years because of visa issues and his two daughters went to visit her for the summer so he has been alone and super lonely. But we had a really good lesson with him that hopefully helped him. I'm confident that he will be in church this next Sunday!!!

There are lots of miracles here in Laredo!!! I love it with all my heart!!!!! I love you all!!!

Love Elder Hurst

Hump Day

Popcorn and Sunday dinner at the Gutman's 

Another Year Has Passed

Keeping the bikes safe.

Elder Tomasi

The church has launched a new tool for missionaries returning home. This is Jeffrey and his friend Max Ferrin who posed for a member in our ward last year before he left that is a photo missionary for the church. These are stock photos that the church can draw from and it was so fun to go on LDS.org and see Jeffrey as they introduced this new tool.

Week 52: Laredo-Half Way

 This week was really good. We had the opportunity to have interviews with president. I love that man! My interview was super short. He just talked with me about participating more in meetings and promised me if I did that then I will learn more. He also gave me some scriptures to study about faith! 

On Friday we stopped by one of our members that is pretty old and was actually the district president a year or two ago. We talked with him for a while just about everything and how we can help the work here grow. Then he gave us two super good referals. One was to a less active part member family and the other was to one of his friends. So we tried by both of them! Only the part member less active has opened the door so far. We taught the mother in law to the less active named Fina! She wants more peace in her life right now because her son in law ( the less active) just barely left his family. It's super sad. But she was super willing to listen to us and wants to act. It surprised me. I thought she would have hard feelings but she didn't and wants to listen. I'm super excited to teach and help her! I know that the gospel will bless her! 

This week is going to be amazing!!! Everyone says we are going to have 10 straight days of weather at least 105! So keep me in your prayers! I will send you all the pictures of my sunburn next week!!!

I love you all!!

Love, Elder Hurst

Week 51: Laredo

Well this was a pretty good week! We went on lots of exchanges so I had the opportunity to work with Elder Tomasi! He is an awesome elder. I had lots of fun with him. We also got a HUGE thing of ice cream from one of the members so we have been eating a ton of ice cream this week. We also went and worked with a member named Chris. He drove us around and we helped some other members do service! That's what the couch is.

This week was super awesome. The days are just going by faster and faster. But I'm loving every minute of it. I know that this church is true. I love my mission!

Week 50: Laredo

Well happy Fourth Of July!!! I'm super grateful to be an American!! We didn't do anything fun for the fourth. We had to be in our apartment by 6 and then just talked and went to sleep!!

Most of the week was introducing my new companion to the members here. There isn't too much to write about. My companion is Elder Weeks from San Diego. He has been out for about 18 months so a lot longer then me.

Elder Falcon and Madsen both left and there wasn't enough missionaries to replace them so we are now living in a two man! It's pretty nice we have a lot of room for ourselves. Elder Weeks is super huge into fitness so he is teaching me how to take care of my body. I'm going to learn a lot from him! I'm super excited to be his companion. This week we woke up at 6 and then ran to the church then did a cross fit work out then ran back. We also played a lot of basketball and soccer as a zone. We go to a place called The Conch every Saturday to play! It's super fun! I will send a picture of it next week.   Then after we exercise we eat breakfast and then we shower and get ready for the day. We start personal study at 8 then we have companionship study at 9, then language study at 10 and then if we don't have a meeeting we eat lunch at 11 and then we are out the door by 12. But usually something always comes up and something changes. Then we just go and work. And then we come home by 9 and then plan for half an hour and then we sleep at 10:30! That is a usual schedule for a TMM missionary. 

But I know that this church is true and is the only true church. I'm super grateful to be a member of it. I love you all so much!!!

Love, Elder Hurst

Elder Weeks from San Diego.

Service with the district elders.

The Zone-Sister Christensen in the blue dress is from PG.